This invention relates generally to device learning modes.
Many devices, though programmed or designed to effectuate one or more specific tasks, must nevertheless be provided with supplementary information from time to time in order to properly execute such task(s). For example a movable barrier operator (such as, for example, a garage door or gate opener) can be provided by the manufacturer with functionality that permits use of the movable barrier operator with a movable barrier, but this initially provided information will often not be sufficient to ensure complete or compatible usage. As one example, a property may use a movable barrier operator to control access to a certain area. Access may be allowed to only, say, 250 individuals. If each individual is provided with a remote control transmitter to interface with the movable barrier operator, identifying information for such transmitters will ordinarily not be known at the outset to the operator. Consequently, the operator must learn this identifying information in order to operate at desired.
Various ways are known to support such a learning process. Very typically, and still using movable barrier operators as an example, a user will press one or more buttons or keys on the device to initiate the learning mode. Additional entries may be necessary to effectuate different purposes (for example, it may be necessary for the user to enter a specific memory location or alias/identifier for each given transmitter to be registered). The user then activates a transmitter and the signals from the transmitter are received by the device while still in the learn mode. The device will then store the identifying information contained in the transmission and conclude the learn mode. Such an approach works acceptably in some circumstances but is considerably deficient in other settings. For example, if the user must register a large number of transmitters (many such systems will support hundreds of such transmitters or even more), then the above process can be tedious, time consuming, and prone to error.
At least one prior art approach attempts to ameliorate this problem by remaining in a learn mode for a predetermined period of time (such as 30 seconds) and allowing a number (such as 4) of transmitters to be registered during that period of time. While possibly acceptable for a small number of transmitters, again, such an approach presents little improvement for a user looking to program a considerably larger population. On the other hand, extending such the period of time for the learn mode in this approach is typically considered ill-advised, as any compatible transmission as received during this period of time will be accepted into the system. Therefore, extending the period of the learning window in this fashion is viewed as a significant security risk and hence, is eschewed as a viable approach.